Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson issued a blistering denouncement of Donald Trump’s leadership amid nationwide protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement on Wednesday (June 3).
“Where are you? Where is our leader?” the star — who is black and Samoan — asked in his emotional video as he stared down the camera. “Where is our leader at this time … when our country is down on its knees, begging, pleading, hurt, angry, frustrated, in pain, begging and pleading with its arms out? Just wanting to be heard. Begging and pleading and praying for change? … Where is our compassionate leader who’s gonna step up to our country … and extend a hand and say, ‘You stand up. Stand up with me…because I got you. I got you, I hear you, I’m listening to you.'”
During the nearly nine-minute-long video, The Rock also clapped back at the racist sentiment behind the “All Lives Matter” response to the protests. “Of course all lives matter,” he said. “Every single one, all lives matter, because we as Americans, we believe in inclusivity. We believe in acceptance; we believe in human rights. We believe in equality for all. That’s what we believe in, so of course all lives matter. But in this moment right now, this defining, pivotal, explosive moment where our country is down on its knees … we must say the words: Black lives matter.”
The star’s call for compassion also included asking the president point blank to take “full accountability” in leading the effort to solve systemic racism rather than calling for military force against protesters in cities such as Washington, D.C., and New York City.
“Look, I am like the majority of Americans,” added the movie star, who earned a spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2016 for his song “You’re Welcome” from Moana. “I am not a politician and I’ve never, clearly, been elected to office, and I am not the president of the United States. But I am man and I am a father who cares so deeply about my family, about my children and the world that they will live in. I care so deeply about our country and every single person in it. That’s who I am. I am a man who is frustrated, I’m disappointed. I’m angry. But I’m also doing my best to stay focused and as calm as I can possibly be in the pocket to make the best decisions for my family, and make the best decisions for our country.”
He concluded: “So as we continue to wait for that leader to emerge, I would recommend to all of you that we must become the leaders we’re looking for. We become our own leaders. ‘Cause we’re doing it now. We’re doing it now. We must become the leaders we are looking for.”
Watch The Rock’s full message to Donald Trump below.
